Filtering - I don't want to be a c**t

[skahigh]

I passed my test 18 months ago and have done about 5000 miles since so I still feel like I'm a total novice and not always totally sure of myself, though I have been a car driver for about 15 years and am perfectly happy with my knowledge of road laws and such.

I have a daily commute into Cardiff and back (7 miles each way) and most of it is in fairly heavy city traffic. In the car I drive quickly but generally considerately of other road users and don't speed excessively.

However, on the bike I occasionally find in my eagerness to get home at the end of the day I get a bit caught up in the filtering and occasionally think back on a manoeuvre I've performed and wonder if I should have been more patient.

This section of road for example, is a short section with double whites which, in the morning is often standstill traffic. Due to the width of the road filtering usually means crossing the double whites which, I'm well aware is illegal however, I tend to pass the traffic slowly, pulling back in whenever something comes the other way. This section takes 30-60 seconds filtering but could take 10-15 minutes if I sat in the traffic and waited.

So, do you ever look back on your riding and wonder if you should have been more patient/considerate? Would you filter (illegally) in the situation I describe above?

Any tips to improve my riding (and confidence) in heavy traffic (I usually find I tense up, my posture is ruined and all my weight is on my wrists) other than just practicing patience?

Or, do you just get from A to B as quickly as possible without taking unnecessary risks to yours and others safety and to some extent ignore rules such as crossing double whites or riding beyond the solid white stop line when filtering past a row of vehicles at a set of lights?

[skahigh]

marshalla said:

Highway Code said:

Rule 129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26

I've read that before but I've also read elsewhere that vehicles simply waiting in a queue of traffic and moving forward sporadically are not counted as stationary.

[skahigh]

defblade said:

I would probably filter there, slowly. Always looking ahead for the vehicle that's leaving a little more room to the one in front, or sits a little more to the gutter - ie, my next safe spot. And then tuck into one of those a reasonable way from the bend/s (probably watching some one else cut it much finer...)

If I'm ever feeling like filtering is getting a bit silly, I try and remember that unlike video games, there's no friendly magic sky crane to pick the bike back up and put it back on the road... so, as said above, make the progress you feel comfortable with and try not to get in anyone else's way the rest of the time.

This is pretty much what I do, incidentally I have filtered past a police car there once with no consequences.

[skahigh]

rufusgti said:

I know that section of well. When I'm on my bike I would be overtaking almost constantly down the whole stretch down to the BBC studios. It's very slow, seems even worse now they've added a bus lane.

Except bikes can use the bus lane now which is nice

[skahigh]

Well this morning there was almost no traffic, I love Fridays!

Any advice on how to help myself relax in heavy traffic and keep my posture? Will it just come with more experience?

[skahigh]

Fleegle said:

skahigh said:

Well this morning there was almost no traffic, I love Fridays!

Any advice on how to help myself relax in heavy traffic and keep my posture? Will it just come with more experience?

I found taking the coathanger out of my jacket helped my posture

I knew there was something I was forgetting!

[skahigh]

SteelerSE said:

I mentally have a "three strikes and I'm out" rule. What I mean by that is that in an hours commute into London if I've done something that was a little too close to the bone then I charge myself a strike. If I've hit three strikes then I'm riding like a tt and need to pull over and cool off and understand why because I'm obviously doing something wrong.

I've never had more than one strike because it's amazing what having that mental check does for you. But this morning I added a strike as I did a maneuveur that in hindsight (as in within a couple of seconds I knew that I'd misjudged) wasn't good and I think if I was the driver of the car involved then I would have been pissed off. Strike. And instantly I'm riding differently.

Great idea, thanks!